Matt Ryan leads list of QBs Rams could have had over the years

Matt Ryan could have been a Ram in 2008. (Dilip Vishwanat-Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams last had a winning record in 2003 and haven’t reached the postseason since 2004. Since then, they’ve gone 43-100-1, dealt with regime change and used a half-dozen head coaches.

But lack of stability at quarterback since Kurt Warner won his second MVP and took the team to Super Bowl XXXVI in 2001 has been the Rams’ biggest issue over the past decade. Considering some of the passing options St. Louis has eschewed will only further depress Rams fans still coping with another season-ending knee injury to Sam Bradford as the team prepares to embark on a once-promising 2014 campaign with career backup Shaun Hill as the starter (apparently).

Some current NFL quarterbacks who could have been Rams:

2008: Marc Bulger’s death spiral had already begun (2-10 record, 70.3 passer rating in 2007), and the Rams could have taken Matt Ryan (or Joe Flacco) as the successor with the second pick of the draft. Instead they opted for DE Chris Long, who’s been better than solid at defensive end but …

Maybe Mark Sanchez was the right guy. (Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports)

2009: After watching Bulger go 2-13 (71.4 QB rating) in 2008, the Rams passed on the chance to take the guy everyone’s talking about now – Mark Sanchez – and didn’t make a move up from No. 2 to No. 1 on the draft board for Matthew Stafford, either. Instead, they chose OT Jason Smith, who proved a colossal bust. (They also could have picked Nate Davis — the other one — to try out under center … but credit them for not doing so.)

2010: With the draft’s No. 1 pick, the Rams scooped up Bradford even though he’d needed shoulder surgery after his injury-marred 2009 season at Oklahoma. And it looked like a sound decision after he won offensive rookie of the year honors (and nearly the NFC West crown) with a season that compared favorably to Peyton Manning’s first in the NFL.

The Rams used the Redskins’ desire to get RG3 to stockpile picks, but none of them went toward a QB. (Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports)

2012: Still understandably upbeat on Bradford despite a disastrous sophomore season in 2011 that included six starts missed due to injury, the Rams passed on Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill (and later Russell Wilson) and parlayed their No. 2 overall draft selection into three other first rounders and a slew of extra picks in order to replenish the roster. DT Michael Brockers (14th overall) eventually became their Round 1 choice.

2014: Armed with the No. 2 pick again — and with Bradford recuperating from a torn ACL heading into the penultimate year of his rookie megacontract — the Rams went for line help yet again by taking T/G Greg Robinson before later picking DT Aaron Donald 13th. Now, with Bradford gone again, will they rue bypassing Blake Bortles at the top or Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater later?

Revisionist history is always 20/20 (often 20/15). But it’s hard not to fault the Rams for their failure to better safeguard the most important position on the roster given Bradford’s so-so pro career and, more importantly, lengthy injury history.

The lesson? Maybe the next time the Rams fall in love with a lineman, they might be wise to just take the best quarterback on the board.